We saw Ameri last evening. She was in cheerful but rowdy mood. She showed all her bruises and dings from her wrestling matches with attendant staff when she needed to be subdued, medicated and restrained. She has a new young gentleman friend who is a fellow patient. He is confined in the hospital as a transfer from a local rehab program. He also had to be subdued, medicated and restrained. In the aftermath, it is very high comedy for them both and demonstrates the power that they have with getting attention from staff. Mom and I could not listen to the retelling and the comments they made to each other and across the room to staff. We had to make to leave to make our point. It was a short visit. Ameri did announce that she was going to be released on Sunday or Monday. No one spoke to us about that when we were there.
We got a cheerful call from a social worker today saying that since Ameri had become stabilized that she was going to be released. I immediately got on the phone to the nursing staff to find out what was going on. From here on things get very confusing. The patient services coordinator expressed that it was her pleasant duty to inform us that Ameri would in fact be released. "When will you pick her up?" I then reviewed the previous three day events and confirmed that Ameri was not taking any medication. I then confirmed that we in fact had a letter from the court stating that Ameri's condition warranted an upgrade in finding that she was in fact promoted to a level of concern that warranted her continued confinement. After much spluttering and back tracking, the patient services coordinator then had to reverse course. I requested that I be able to speak to the doctor. I laid out a very strong case for that courtesy and sure enough we got a call from the doctor. Oh, no. She is staying for at least another week. I asked about the aftercare plan and he searched for it and found that there was none. After we had a course correction we proceeded to get up to date with him. He is concerned that we want to get Ameri out as soon as possible to return to the comfort of home and hearth. NΟ! Hell Νο! We wanted her stabilized on medication and transitioned to an inpatient or day treatment program. We gave him two good alternatives. They are both out of the county where Ameri is now confined. His response, "We normally are unable to refer out of county." So be it. What alternatives can your social services provide? Dead air.
Here is the way things will probably work out. A new MD/Psychiatrist will be on the rotation for that psych ward starting on Monday morning. The doctor we spoke to today will be able to pass this mess on gracefully and return to his daily practice. The new doctor will review the caseload and kick out the deadwood. Ameri will smile sweetly and take on her deadwood look. By mid week she will have effected her own release and be on the street again, unmedicated, and to be transported out of county by a cab service. She will call us to say that she is not coming home. Within 48 hours she will begin to meltdown and her calls will become plaintive and tearful. At just over 72 hours she will have entered another emergency room or will approach a law enforcement officer and indicate that she is going to kill herself. The cycle will continue.
Yes there is a court order. This is wonderland and Alice is ten feet tall.
White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall
Tell'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Call Alice
When she was just small
When men on the chessboard
get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving slow
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know
When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's off with her head
Remember what the doormouse said:
"Feed your Head
Feed your Head!"
